Series/Festivals

Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse (unrated) Agnès Varda. Directed by Agnès Varda, this documentary focuses on the practice of gleaning, or the gathering of the grain and vegetables left in the fields after reaping. At one time, gleaning was a communal activity practiced by the poor; the practice was immortalized in 19th-century paintings by Jules Breton and Jean François Millet. Varda becomes a gleaner herself, gathering images with her digital camcorder and providing a running commentary on what she sees. Screens at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 7, at Gallery 210 on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road. Call 314-516-5851 for more information. NR

Rivers and Tides (unrated) Thomas Reidelsheimer. While most artists seek immortality and the creation of permanent objects, Scottish sculptor Andy Goldsworthy pursues a dramatically different goal. Using found, natural objects, he works, feverishly and impulsively, to fashion and build stunningly beautiful, but always transitory, constructions. For example, as the wind blows, the tide rises, the stream flows and the sun shines, the designs made of sticks, stones, leaves and ice transform into other ephemeral states. The temporary existence of Goldsworthy's art, preserved only in photographs, makes it a perfect subject for Thomas Riedelsheimer's lyrical, lovely documentary that secondarily, but significantly, invites reconsideration of commonly held ideas about art. Fred Frith's evocative music complements Goldsworthy's art, making the film itself a unified, enjoyable aesthetic experience -- with a visit to Goldsworthy's home completing the portrait of this unusual, extraordinary artist. Screens at 7 p.m. Friday, March 5, through Sunday, March 7, in the Moore Auditorium on the campus of Webster University, 470 E. Lockwood Avenue. Call 314-968-7487 for more information. (Diane Carson)